natalie ann: week 62: 2 0 1 7

Monday, January 2nd, 2017

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I'm pretty excited for 2017! I love having a new year, a fresh start. A lot of exciting things are happening this year. It's crazy to think that 2016 is over. It's been a hard year for sure but definitely the year I have grown and learned the most.

Monday not much really happened cause no one was home.

Tuesday I was with a mini missionary named Julianne. She is so cute. She is 17 and deciding whether or not to go on a mission and it was pretty cool cause towards the end of the day she decided to go on one! Super awesome. She is going to be an amazing missionary. We had a lesson with Jessica and we taught her the restoration. It was good, we are helping her gain her testimony back. She feels like she lost it. She has been through a lot in her life. We met with Jesse and had a good lesson with him. We read the Book of Mormon with them, highlighting the doctrine of Christ. Jesse just really needs to focus on the Book of Mormon, that's where he will get a testimony from. It was cool cause Jesse picked out some verses that I hadn't really noticed being the doctrine of Christ. We then had a lesson with Rachael. She just tries to teach us the whole time. She is willing to be baptized but doesn't understand the priesthood. She isn't willing to come to church and I felt prompted to drop her. So I did and it was totally an act of faith. She just isn't quite ready. We will check up on her later for sure.

Wednesday we had district meeting and then had a district lunch afterwards. We had a lesson with Noah and he is doing so good. He is so cute. We saw a less-active named Sister Adams. We stopped by a less-active family, the Bowmans. They just got married. We have been trying to see them for months. We finally had a lesson with them and it was really good.

Thursday was weekly planning and lots of meetings so we had one lesson and that was Zach. It was on missionary work. It was good he isn't keeping all the commitments. He says he feels embarrassed sharing the gospel and that's not really a good sign. He really needs to gain his own testimony and not lean off Channa's. So we are still working on that. It's up to him to put effort in though.

Friday 5 out of 6 lessons canceled! Ugh so glad the holidays are over. You have no idea! I was with Julianne again because the sisters went to MLC. We had some good tti's. We had a lesson with Joanna and Sister Carpenter came with us. She is a great fellowshipping. I think Joanna would come to church if it wasn't for her husband. So that's a bummer. It was Sister Gulley's birthday so we got her a cake and decorations and surprised her when she got home. So that was fun.

Saturday we had our first lesson with Molly! So a few days before we made our goals for January. And we said one baptism in January even though we had no one on date, so act of faith! The next day we get a referral for Molly and meet her the next day. We taught the restoration at the Moores house and it was really good. She has been looking into the church for a while now and is just so prepared so we put her on date for January 28th! She is so prepared! Brother Phill took us out to sweet heart cafe, love him. We then visited people cause 2 other of our appointments canceled. And then for New Year's Eve we got together with all of the missionaries. It was fun kind of...we played balderdash & I haven't played that in so long.

Sunday was so good! We had breakfast (crepes) with President Shumay from the white mountain stake & that was good. So show low ward starts at 11:30 and Paloma at 11...so we have to go on splits every week so it's a struggle. It snowed a ton in the morning was but like all gone by the afternoon. So Molly came to church and it was amazing!! Like I couldn't have asked for a better experience for her! The speakers were awesome, she has awesome fellowshippers and she knew so many people there! She stayed all three hours! She is so awesome! She was so happy and it was just good. I love her, she is so prepared. And she got kicked out of her house by her husband the night before...he sounds like a loser. So sad. So she stayed in a hotel room. But yeah church was so good. I realized how much I love the people in my wards. I love the sharing the gospel with people. Meeting people like Molly make it all worth it.

I have come to realize that my service on a mission is not about me, it's about the Lord, His work and God's children. There is no greater happiness than getting lost in the work. Something amazing happens when you really start seeing everyone as your brother or sister. I'm so grateful to serve His children.

I love the article on President Hinckley from the January Ensign and how he was so optimistic. We really can be joyful in any circumstance because of our Savior.

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "Don't be gloomy. Do not dwell on unkind things. Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. Even if you are not happy, put a smile on your face. Look a little deeper for the good. Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, with great and strong purpose in your heart, accentuate the positive. Life is to be enjoyed not just endured."

So it's a new year! Be happy, look forward with faith. Don't look back. Set goals on who you want to become. Not just what you want to do. And remember "God doesn't care nearly as much about where you have been as much as He does about where you are and with His help, where you are willing to go." Faith is for the future. Christ is the high priest of good things to come.

Professor Noel Reynolds said, "The choice to repent is a choice to burn bridges in every direction [having determined] to follow forever only one way, the one path that leads to eternal life.”

Christ is that one path home. I'm grateful for that. Have a good week & year!

--xo: sista fisha